2006_deportation_of_Georgians_from_Russia

⭐ In the context of the Russo-Georgian War, the 2006 deportation of Georgians from Russia is considered a significant event because it…

The deportation of Georgians in 2006 followed political changes in both Russia and Georgia – Putin’s election in Russia and the Rose Revolution in Georgia – and contributed to a growing diplomatic crisis, ultimately escalating tensions towards the 2008 war.

⭐ Core Definition: 2006 deportation of Georgians from Russia

The 2006 deportation of Georgians from Russia refers to the deaths, unlawful arrests, expulsions and overall mistreatment of several thousand ethnic Georgians by the Russian government during the 2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy. The official Russian position was that Georgians in question violated the Russian immigration law and that their expulsion and treatment in custody was just standard law enforcement. The Georgian government countered that Russia's concerted actions against ethnic Georgians, including properly documented individuals, was an act of political retribution for the arrest of Russian spies and was tantamount to "mild form of ethnic cleansing". Georgian claims were supported by the Human Rights Watch, which documented "the Russian government's arbitrary and illegal detention and expulsion of Georgians, including many who legally lived and worked in Russia..." Georgia subsequently sued the Russian Government in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Russian human rights defenders widely criticized the move. Human Rights Center "Memorial" demanded to immediately stop the campaign against people born in Georgia. Radio "Echo of Moscow" started a campaign "I am a Georgian", calling for Russian citizens to wear a badge with such a sign in solidarity.

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👉 2006 deportation of Georgians from Russia in the context of Russo-Georgian War

The August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia, was a war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation and the Russian-backed separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The fighting took place in the strategically important South Caucasus region. It is regarded as the first European war of the 21st century.

Georgia declared its independence from the Soviet Union in April 1991, following a referendum during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, fighting (1991–92) between Georgia and Ossetian separatists resulted in parts of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast being under the de facto control of Russian-backed but internationally unrecognised separatists. In 1992, a joint peacekeeping force of Georgian, Russian, and Ossetian troops was stationed in the territory. A similar stalemate developed in the region of Abkhazia, where the separatists had waged a war in 1992–1993, culminating in the ethnic cleansing of Georgians. Following the election of Vladimir Putin in Russia in 2000 and a pro-Western change of power in Georgia in 2003, relations between Russia and Georgia began to severely deteriorate, reaching a full diplomatic crisis by April 2008.

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